The first experience I had with online roleplaying was on
Prodigy in 1991 and 1992. It was an area on the boards named
The Arena. Everyone submitted a character, and the DM's
did the checks and balances. Everyone started at 1st level.
The good characters got Fame points, while the bad characters
got Reputation points. Neutrals got both, therefore could be
more "popular" with the good, while still maintaining a "bad"
reputation.
It started with a handful of people, and grew to be hundreds.
It started out with you submitting for a fight (VERY rare to
the death, although accidents happen
) The DM would
take the two characters, a proposed plan of actions, ie. 1st
two rounds attack with bow, 3rd attempt called shot, 4th etc.
The DM would then roll the fight out, and according to the
rolls you get your winner.
The DM would then type in the battle in story form in "The
Arena Combat" forum, and everyone could read it. It ended
up being an excellent place to roleplay. Nothing was allowed
to get cheesy. Near the end, we had a thieves guild, some
nearly unbeatable gladiators turned guild masters, etc.
It was awesome because it brings a new twist to just the
plain old ...I just rolled a 20, 19 points of damage..your
done..
Jeris thrust high, then low. Lightning quick, the amazon
easily batted the scimitar away. The barbed end of her
spear showed the relentless pounding of metal on metal.
Wood splinters flew, and Jeris couldn't help but watch as
a large toothpick sized splinter landed upon the sweaty
breast of the massive blonde.
Even in the heat of battle he couldn't imagine a more perfect
woman. Strike. Parry. Parry. Thrust. The battle seemed
to last forever. Sweat pouring. A lone sweat drop, gliding
down the nimble womans chest. A split-second distraction.
Jeris looked down just at the instant the barbed tip gouged
into his ribcage. He felt the explosion of intestines and
that mornings breakfast as he vomitted a mix of blood and
cornbread onto the arena floor.
The announcer walked to the center of the arena, as the
healers scrambled to save the young warriors life. "Reand
wins." The crowd roared it's approval as the amazon winked,
then left. Still undefeated.
It was still a great experience. Just curious if anyone
else old enough to have been around back then.